


The Augur's Apprentice

by RangerGiselle



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Avvar, Gen, Origin Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-06 01:47:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13400871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RangerGiselle/pseuds/RangerGiselle
Summary: Written in response to a challenge from the Dragon Age Universe - to write an origin story for the Avvar Warden (a background story that was dropped from the game).





	The Augur's Apprentice

**Author's Note:**

> Dragon Age Origin stories are never pretty...

“Look to the sky, child, what do the omens tell you?” The Augur asked her.

Astrid sat on the flat stone with her long legs crossed, and tossed her long, dark braids over her shoulder.  Shielding her eyes with her gloved hand, she looked upwards.  She noted the bright blue of the sunny day, the white clouds.  There were a few birds in the sky, but not many.  But she wasn’t seeing any “omens”.  She decided to make something up.

“They uh...say that it will be a long winter, so we had better prepare.”

The augur gently tapped her on the back of the head.  “Astrid Eriksdotten, you are not focusing.”

“Sorry, Augur, it’s just...Father has a visitor coming, a  _ lowlander. _  I don’t know why he’s allowing it,” she explained, as it was obvious her thoughts were not on reading the omens today.

“He is a Grey Warden, and will play a very important role in our clan’s future, which you would know  _ if you read the omens,” _ he teased.  “Now try again.  What does The Witness tell you?”

Astrid closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  Exhaling slowly, she focused inward, to the spirit inside her.  The Witness had been with her clan for generations, and she was honored to carry her.  When she again opened her eyes, it was with the shared vision of two viewers, and she saw the subtle signs with a different perspective.  _  The birds were only few at a time, but frequent, and there was a larger flock behind them.  They were fleeing something, something to the south and east.  Terror in their hearts.  Something is causing them to leave their nests, though it is not yet close to winter.  Trouble, conflict, blood, death. _

The second entity retreated, stilled inside her, and she knew she had seen what it wanted her to.  “Something is coming, something terrible, and it’s not just the lowlander,” she stated.

“Yes, something dark.  I, too, have seen this.  This is why we must welcome the Grey Warden.  That is all for our lesson today.”

Astrid stood, stretching, her muscles stiff from having sat too long.  “Thank you, Augur,” she said, and took her leave.  Walking through the hold, she was again struck with how different this place was.  Blood-Wolf clan had recently traveled here, down from the Frostback Mountains into more of the greener areas east of the peaks, following the Augur’s reading of better hunting near the lowlands.  Still, it felt strange to be warm.  The paths through the hold had grown worn over the months that they had occupied this space, but it didn’t feel like home.

Her friend Gunnar waved to her from the entrance of his family’s home, and walked toward her.  His eyes were warm and friendly as he gazed upon her.  “Astrid, are you done with your studies?”

“Yeah, I thought the Augur was going to make me stay there all day,” she complained.

“Learning to read the signs is an important task.  One that will someday fall on your shoulders alone,” he reminded her.  “Just as I will one day become Master of the Hunt, like my father, and his father before him.”

“I know being chosen as the Augur’s apprentice is position of importance, but I feel a little guilty, as though I betrayed Father,” she admitted.

“You are still the thane’s daughter.  You couldn’t help that you developed magic.  If there had been more with that talent in our hold, perhaps another could have been chosen.”

“But we don’t have enough mages, I know.  I just grew up expecting to be thane.  To take my father’s place and lead, as he did,” she said, her tone quieting as she spoke.  “Stupid magic didn’t kick in until I was fourteen.  It’s hard to let go.”

“You’ll still be leading us, just in a different way.”

“Thanks, I think I needed to hear that.  Do you want to go check the animal traps before dinner?” she asked him.

“Yeah, let me tell Father I’ll get them.”

*            *            *

Fear coursed through her, a feeling not unlikely nausea.   _ A vision?  _ She thought, and reached for the wisdom of the Witness.  The filter of her second vision colored the landscape.   _ Something is here, something...horrifying _ .  She was standing in a copse of trees, but could see nothing in any direction through the thick foliage.  The ground trembled beneath her, and she fell to her knees.  That’s when she felt its presence.  The threat was from  _ below. _

Astride awoke with a start, gasping for breath, but her lungs drew in smoke instead, and  she coughed.  Covering her mouth with the cloth of her sleeping shirt, she looked at the door to her room, and saw the light of fire.  Quickly standing, she grabbed her staff, the twisted bit of wood still feeling unwanted in her hands, and headed to the door.

“Father?” she called, but she heard only the roar of the flames.  She opened the door, and saw the the room beyond was already ablaze.  Acrid smoke stung her nose and eyes as she stepped forward.   _ “Father?!” _ she cried, searching furtively, but seeing no sign of him.  Casting a quick barrier for protection, she made her way to the door, thankfully as of yet untouched by the flames, and ducked outside.

The scene outside was even more terrifying.   _ Darkspawn.  That’s what the vision meant. _  There were dozens of the creatures, although thankfully, none of them had yet noticed her.  They ran to her left, toward the center of the hold.  She sent a desperate plea to the Lady, and the Mountain-Father, anyone who was listening to help her.  

But, the gods did not respond to her prayers, and a group of darkspawn appeared from around the next hut.  She cast a freezing spell on the first one, trapping it in place, followed by a barrier.   _ I can’t fight them all by myself, I need to find the others. _  She ran, toward the center of the hold, to the arena.  The sound of blades hitting metal and flesh sounded in her ears.

She ran toward the sounds, but stumbled over something at her feet, falling into the dirt.  She looked down only to find Gunnar’s eyes staring up into the night sky, sightless.

“No!” Astrid cried, moving to her friend’s side, kneeling next to him and checking for any signs of life.  She reached for Witness, but realized she was already too late to help him, no healing magic could save him now.  Arrows had struck him in the chest, and blood covered his torso.  Anger filled her, fueled by grief and her staff gave a glow like an ember brought back to life by a small breeze.

She stood, hollow-eyed, and walked forward toward the sounds of combat.   _ I’m coming, Father _ .

*             *             *

Astrid became aware of a few things all at once.  The first was that everything hurt.  She remembered the fight with the darkspawn, and watching the members of her clan fall one after another in front of her.  Her father had protected her, but even he had not been enough when an ogre charged through the village, crashing through the structures as though they were nothing.    Next, she realized she couldn’t move her legs.  Glancing down, she saw she was pinned under a heavy beam.   _ Father must have shoved me in here, thinking to hide me, _ she thought bitterly.  Finally, she heard voices.

“I’m telling you, Duncan, this is useless, this was a massacre, no one could have survived this.”

“The Avvar are a strong people.  The hoard must have been sizeable indeed to have destroyed such a clan as this.  But, I would not rule out the chance of survivors.”

Astrid realized that this must be the Grey Warden that was coming to visit her Father.  She tried to speak, but the sound came out as an agonized croak, her throat having been damaged by the smoke.

She swallowed, and tried again, and was able to make more of a sound.  “I’m here,” she said.

She heard movement near hear.

“Maker be praised,” the first voice sounded again.  Astrid looked up to see two men.  The first one to have spoken was tall, slender, and wearing some sort of long robe.  He carried a staff not unlike her own.  The other, who she gathered was named Duncan, was more solidly built, in leather armor with metal reinforcements, and there were two daggers sheathed at his back.  His dark hair was pulled away from a handsome face, and wore a full beard.

The mage went to reach down, but the other put out a hand to stop him.  “Don’t touch her, Cedric.  Look closer,” he said, pointing at Astrid’s leg.  “That is a wound from a darkspawn blade, and near it, blood not from her own injuries.”

“You mean…?”

“Yes,” Duncan confirmed, and turned to look at her.  “I’m sorry, child, but you most likely carry the Blight.”

_ A death sentence.  Even I know that. _

“What is your name?”

“Astrid Eriksdotten,” she managed to squeak out.

“As I suspected.  You were the one I was hoping to meet.  Cedric, help me lift this.”

The smaller man bent, and together, they were able to remove the beam.  Astrid felt prickling sensations in her legs, and hoped that was a good sign.  She was happy to see no obvious broken bones, anyway.  She experimented, wiggling her toes, and saw them move.

The bearded man helped her to her feet, and they walked out of the ruined hut.  Astrid sat on one of the benches that served as a viewing area for th arena.  

“I am Duncan, a Grey Warden.  Have you seen any others of your clan alive?”

Astrid shook her head, a tear threatening to escape her eye.  She held it back by sheer  force of will.  

“Here,” he said, offering her his waterskin.  She drank gratefully, the water feeling cool in her throat.

“There is a way I can keep the Taint from killing you, but it is not an easy life, and you may find I have done you no kindness.”

“How?” she asked

“I came here looking to recruit new Grey Wardens.”

Astrid looked around at the devastation around her.  Bodies of people she had known her whole life.  The people she had thought to one day lead.   _ How did the Augur not see this coming?  Why didn’t the vision come sooner if the darkspawn were going to attack?  Or, is there still another threat from below?   _ But she knew one thing for certain.  This place held nothing for her now, the darkspawn had taken everything.  Her people were gone, her future was lost, and without this man’s help, she was going to die.

“Okay,” she agreed.  “But I need to prepare my father for sky burial.”

“Of course.”

Astrid wished she had time to help them all, to send them to the Lady of the Skies, but she did what she could for her father and Gunnar.  She had no offering to leave for her father, and no huntsmaster to prepare it, even if she did.  Perhaps it would be better if her father’s soul did not return to this place now that the others are gone.  Losing her name meant nothing, she would be a Grey Warden now, all the name she would have or need from this point forward.   _ Please be at peace with the Lady, Father. _

The ritual as complete as she could make it, she joined the Duncan and Cedric.  Taking a deep breath, she announced, “I’m ready.”


End file.
